Hikers, bikers should have Sun Road access by mid-May

Hikers and bikers should have access to the Going-to-the-Sun Road by mid-May, Glacier National Park spokeswoman Gina Kerzman said last week.

The utilities project that has kept the road closed to all traffic from the foot of Lake McDonald to Lake McDonald Lodge should be completed by then, Kerzman said.

The park closed the road last fall for the utility work, because the road is torn up and sewer lines and other utilities are being installed.

She declined to give an exact date at this point when the road would open to vehicles.

Even when it does open, folks should expect traffic delays as construction on the road itself is slated to begin, Kerzman cautioned. That road construction will continue through the summer.

Still, by mid-May, the road should be open to Avalanche Creek, so folks can hike and bike as they normally would in the spring beyond the gate.

Crews will start plowing the Camas Road the first week in April and then they transition to the Sun Road on the west side.

The Camas Road typically takes a few days or even a week for the ice to melt. Glacier doesn’t open the road to vehicles until a few weeks after it's plowed, depending on the weather. As such, it provides an alternative for folks to hike and bike until Sun Road is open.

On the east side, crews also start plowing in early April. They typically clear the Chief Mountain Road, then the Two Medicine Road and then Many Glacier. They usually don’t start on Sun Road until the secondary roads are cleared.

Glacier is also working toward opening Goat Haunt this season, Kerzman said. They’re still in discussion with Parks Canada, but the hope is to have the popular boat landing at the foot of Waterton Lake open by this summer.

It’s been closed for the past three summers due to the pandemic.